This conference jointly organized by SHF and AIPCN (French section) to be held on the 18th & 19th of November 2015 will be an opportunity to provide the attendees with a state of the art regarding the numerical and physical simulation tools for inland waterways and ports in relation with the MARCOM 171 think tank/Work group of AIPCN titled Ship Handling Simulation Dedicated to Channel and Harbour Design.

In the public port domain the increasing size of ships since 3 decades, makes it necessary to enhance and maximize their handling in basins. In the fluvial section efforts are also made to improve the expansion of infrastructures. Plans are under way to train a larger number of crews on new waterway simulators. In this context the simulation tools are becoming more and more important. Within the MARCOM 171 working group, the simulation tools analyze the following sections of navigation: ship handling, the human factor, the hydrodynamic efforts brought to ships and vessels, particularly the resistance to forward movement in opened or confined waters, dynamic over draught, the wakes and the related impact on the river banks and beds.

An outstanding attention will be paid to the environmental data necessary to simulation such as streams, wind, swell, bathymetry data, to specific handling or the simulation of new vessels and ships. Examples of pushers, sea keeping of fluvial units when sailing in bays and estuaries, ship overtaking, ways in and out of locks.

Applications of these tools cover the naval architecture, maritime and river ports arrangements, especially regarding the speed regulations but also training on realistic 3D simulations with validated and advanced instrumentation. The security analysis based on a statistical analysis of trajectories on simulators calculated from AIS data would be discussed during this conference. Papers on studies for a more economical navigation (eco systems, economical consumption and development of an eco-pilote, the impact of air bubbles on forward movements; …) will be appreciated.

Related topics such as sediment-to-vessel interaction, navigation on mud bottoms, interaction between navigation and other applications of waterways for example water management and power production (generation), usage of new Fluvial Information Systems for the security and competitiveness in view of an improved navigation could also be tackled during this conference.

This forthcoming conference proposes to focus on the input of hydrodynamics and simulation to scientific and operational progresses related to fluvial transport and port access.